sharks

In Melbourne’s Port Phillip, there are thousands of swimmers taking to the water at dozens of beaches every day.

But how many shark attacks have there been in the bay?

Are open water swimmers in danger from shark attacks in Melbourne? In Victoria? How many serious shark attacks have there been in Port Phillip?

Good news is that there have been NO fatal shark attacks in Port Phillip since 1936, so that’s none in the last 90 years.

Historically, there have been seven FATAL shark attacks in or near Melbourne over the last 200 years. All seven fatal shark attacks in or near Melbourne happened in the 1800’s or early 1900’s.

There are fewer sharks today than in the last century, possibly because of baiting and culling activities carried out over 150 years that have led to a crash in the numbers of sharks.

The last confirmed sighting of a large Great White Shark in Port Phillip was 7km off Altona in July 2012.

The Herald Sun reported that Ray Theuma and Brian Bell spotted the 4.5m shark near their 4m boat whilst fishing off Altona.

Occasional shark sightings are reported from the south-eastern bay beaches, such as Portsea and Sorrento. These are sharks entering the bay from The Rip and often exiting a day or two later. There are very few large shark sighting at the top of the bay, near Melbourne.

According to this widely shared article from Melbourne Marvels some of the historical shark attacks in Melbourne were quite dramatic and public with many witnesses and obvious trauma for those close by.

For example, apprentice stonemason Peter Rooney was a strong swimmer who was attacked by a large shark at Port Melbourne in 1876. A horse rider named James Pritchard rode into the sea to attempt to drag him from the shark’s jaws. Imagine this scene:

“as Pritchard retreated, Peter dangling awkwardly from the horse with blood pumping from the wound to his left thigh, the shark seemed to get its bearings and swam aggressively towards them.

This time it bit at Peter’s left calf to the horror of his friends.  The scene was nightmarish with the colour of the water all around turning red due to being diluted with blood.”

Another horrific scene unfolded at Brighton Beach in 1930. 19 year old Norman Clark was attacked and killed by a Great White Shark just metres from the Brighton Pier in front of 100 horrified onlookers including his friends.

In the weeks following this attack, dozens of sharks were killed in the bay but the actual shark that killed Norman Clark was never found.

Is it safe to swim in the open water?

There have been 23 fatal shark attacks in Australia since 2020. according to the Australian Shark Incident Database. There’s been an increase in shark attacks on swimmers in New South Wales and Sydney in particular in recent years reports Channel Nine. Warmer water bringing Bull and Tiger Sharks further south is one reason for more attacks.

There have no fatal shark attacks in Melbourne or Victoria for many years.

This Four Corners program on ABC TV examines the issue and suggests there are more sharks (and more swimmers) in the ocean, leading to more close encounters.

Swimmers should be aware of the risks without being panicked.

Resources like Dorsal Shark App and other reporting services are invaluable.

Swimmers should not be swimming alone, far from shore or without good local knowledge of the area. Responsible swim group leaders check for reports and warnings and keep an eye on conditions around their swimmers.

Swimming near river mouths, in the midst of large schools of fish and spearfishing add to the risk of shark encounters.

There’s no need to panic about the sharks in the bay or when you’re swimming. The chances of a shark encounter are small.

But there’s no reason to laugh off the risks and make fun of people who have concerns. Be sensible, stay close to shore, be aware of reports and warnings and don’t be alone in the sea.

Better still, be part of an organised, licensed and insured swim group or club. Don’t get led astray by macho individuals saying ‘what are you scared of? hahaha.”